


Mentor

by Jen425



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Tokusatsu
Genre: Alternate Universe, Body Sharing, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: Ernie and Zordon are one in the same… to a certain extent
Relationships: Ernie & Zordon (Power Rangers)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Mentor

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently Ernie was originally supposed to be Zordon in disguise but they change their mind, so here’s some strange semi canon compliant fic where he is Zordon’s human body but also has his own consciousness.
> 
> Hope you like this

_ Ernie is 10 and Zordon is 2,348,121 years old when they realize they aren’t quite what they seem. _

_ Oh, not to be confused: Ernie had learned years previous not to talk to his other half and Zordon had learned that his new body could move without him in it And have separate thoughts. _

_ But neither had realized, truly realized, that they weren’t one being. Until the day Zordon had Alpha teleport him to the Command Center and realized he was looking at himself and another person in two directions at once. _

_ And Ernie promptly passes out. _

_ Zordon watches himself and doesn’t entirely know what to do with the new development. _

_ He sends himself (Ernie?) home and decides that he needs to explain himself to himself, this time. Power only knows how many times he’d failed to. _

_ But how did this even happen? Creating a body in this fashion wasn’t supposed to work like this. _

  
  
  


_ Ernie wakes up the next morning as Zordon ponders his questions, ignores his other half, and assumes it was all a dream. Zordon lets him get dressed and go to school with little control of his own. He’d wanted his body to learn naturally, as Earth humans aren’t quite identical to Eltarians. _

_ Maybe that was the reason why it seems Ernie is more separate than he knew? _

_ “Wait, we’re separate?” Ernie asks, pausing in the middle of his walk to the bus stop, and Zordon can’t help move them because he’s equally frozen. _

_ “I…” he begins. “I need to explain myself, E-Ernie. But first we must go through our school day.” _

_ School is important. Ernie’s mom says so, and she knows a lot! _

_ So he blinks, nods, and runs to catch the bus. _

_ Neither of them can focus on their teacher. _

  
  
  


_ “These memories aren’t something I made up, are they?” Ernie asks, looking around the Command Center in awe. Out of the corner of his eye, he can feel himself (Zordon?) watching him look around. _

_ “Zordon?” the robot (Alpha, he knows) asks. “What’s going on?” _

_ “Alpha, this is Ernie,” Zordon says. _

_ “And Zordon,” Ernie continues. “It’s complicated and I don’t really get it.” _

_ “It seems my human body has developed a second consciousness,” Zordon explains, which Ernie only mostly understands. He knows what it means, at least. _

_ He basically shares a body and soul with an alien. _

_ Better than being crazy, at least. _

_ And surprisingly easy to accept. _

  
  
  


…that was over twenty years ago.

Now he is the proud owner of the Youth Center. It had been an idea Ernie had started, but Zordon had immediately been all in. It had reminded Zordon of something from his first own childhood that Ernie had felt the pain of and decided Ernie didn’t need to know the details adjacent.

“Perhaps I’ll even find the Rangers,” Ernie says, instead. “I mean, that’s my job, right?”

“Yes,” Zordon agrees, nodding his head. (It’s stopped being weird to either of him, communicating while still with his consciousnesses both inside the same body.) “For whatever reason, only you have our ability to See the Rangers’ Colors.”

Ernie nods in response.

“I kind of hope they find their way here,” Ernie admits. “Judging by the teams you’ve mentored, they could use some place safe.”

Ernie’s sad smile morphs into Zordon’s as his mouth says “yes, they could.”

  
  
  


The weird this is that he isn’t quite one person but nor is he two. Zordon can’t access all of Ernie’s senses and memories, but Ernie can’t physically control his other form. Zordon can move his human body, and Ernie can see Zordon’s memories with ease, if Ernie calls for them.

He sometimes moves with one voice and purpose inside of his body and other times Ernie and Zordon are almost completely separate. Ernie lets himself care more than Zordon has in… a very long time.

So What does that make him?

(In his opinions, it doesn’t even matter.)

  
  
  


Ernie spots Kimberly and Billy first, Kimberly showing off her gymnastics and Billy watching in awe from a nearby table with a page covered in the physics of her routine. They’re something of friends despite their differences, which is amazing yet unsurprising.

They’ll be a strong team.

Zordon pegs how young they’d have to be when they’re called if the color is already so bright, and both immediately agree that it is terrible, too young. Zordon reminds himself of the necessity, but Ernie can’t seem to see it. He resolves to help the Rangers have as great a childhood as possible.

At least these two, who he can reach.

  
  
  


“They have five more years of being children,” Ernie says.

“It’s not fair,” he says.

“But we do not have a choice,” Zordon continues.

He sighs. Because Zordon knows trying to keep it from happening only leaves teams finding the Power without aid from a Mentor, or an incorrect team being chosen and then failing. Zordon and Ernie will at least be there for them.

Will at least try and keep them alive.

  
  
  


He’s surprised when he catches sight of Jason, training hard, drilling harder, a precise “hu-yaw!” coming from the boy’s lips. He’s impressed as much by the focus in the twelve year old’s movements as as he is by the Red which screams from him, accented by a slight bit of… gold?

He smiles, and he watches him. Jason comes often.

And, As it turns out, he already knows Kimberly. Their parents are friends, and they grew up together.

They still spend time together, but they aren’t  _ really _ friends. It’s odd, but things have Time to change.

  
  
  


“Need a hand there, Billy?” Ernie asks, watching the boy fiddle with a piece of tech probably lightyears away from current Earth capabilities. He blames Zordon, for encouraging the future Blue.

But he understands why Zordon would, as different and as similar as it is to his half of themselves. They both get joy out of helping the future Rangers with the little things.

They both want them to have Ernie’s childhood, rather than Zordon’s.

“The wires won’t connect with the transmodfier,” Billy says, frowning. “The hovering capabilities are key to completing my aeronautical automobile.”

He hmms, picking up the device, and Zordon decides that he has no idea what’s wrong except the materials, and that Zordon will help him when he’s a Ranger in truth.

“A flying car, huh,” he says, out loud. Ernie smiles. “Why don’t you wait until you’re a little closer to being able to drive?”

The boy just shrugs.

“I’ll uncover the mistake,” he says. “But maybe a break would be beneficial.”

Ernie  _ and _ Zordon smile.

  
  
  


Zack wanders in, a few months later, and becomes near-instant friends with Jason, befriending Kim and Billy not long after. When Ernie sees that the boy is not just black but  _ a _ Black, he takes a second to double check it.

“There are times where events like this occur,” Zordon says, quietly, so no one realizes Ernie is talking to his other half.

He doesn't talk about it more and and welcome Zack in as much as he does the other three Rangers. Without a thought. With an awaiting smile.

With a prayer that this can last and that the future Rangers won’t injure themselves as Kimberly teaches Zack and Billy how to flip.

  
  
  


Trini comes in one day, the other Rangers’ new friend. She glows Yellow and asks him if she can use the Youth Center for a charity event, he agrees with only a short check of what the charity was.

Trini is determined, focused, and incredibly caring, and Billy always lights up when she doesn’t stare blankly at him when he talks. Kimberly is obviously so happy to have another girl in the group.

Zack and Jason fold her into their own little trio..

And Ernie? And Zordon?

He watches, counting down the clock and hating it.

  
  
  


It’s a normal day, outside of Billy’s first official Karate lesson. Jason had asked to teach a class, and, as usual, he couldn’t find it any part of him to say no to the future Rangers. Nor could he find any reason not to help the kind and precocious soon-to-be high schoolers.

The Earth Quake hits. Zordon tells Alpha to make a search for the perfect Rangers. Ernie helps evacuate the Youth Center.

He knows that it’s Rita.

He knows that it’s time.

And no part of him likes it.

  
  
  


Tommy Oliver glows more colors than he should and ties with Jason in a contest. He wears Green and his smile looks tinged with more pain than the others began with and Ernie resolves to keep and eye on him as he remembers that Zordon had lost the Green Power Coin to Rita.

But then Zordon stares out at the instantly recognizable Green Ranger and Ernie thinks that he was too late.

And Zordon is tumbling through dimensions but he has a job, so he forces himself to get up and see if Ernie can help six children live through an almost inherently destructive series of events when he can’t even ask Alpha what started it.

He’s there when the brainwashed Tommy threatens Kimberly, pretends he didn’t hear every bit of the conversation when Kimberly looks at him with the eyes not of the hero she has to be but the lost girl that she is. When bad things continue to happen until Zordon can return, can explain.

And Ernie breathes a sigh of relief because the kids survived.

But he also know that he can’t sit back, if something similar happens again.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita or @dancingqueen-mai for just Toku edits


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